Successful weekend at Fairford as Appeal passes £300k

The weekend saw another successful couple of displays at arguably the biggest airshow on the UK calendar, as the Air Tattoo was graced by the presence of the Vulcan with two stunning displays.

XH558 : Star of the Show

Many who were at the event commented how the display had been more dynamic than ever, which is a recurring comment it seems at present, and that will surely help boost the coffers - in fact right now the Vulcan Appeal stands at £302,000 - a significant milestone passed as the £350k target gets closer and closer, with the July 31st deadline looming.

Included in that total of £302k is also a very welcome £10,000 donation from the Vulcan to the Sky Supporters Club, and is a perfectly timed input from the VTTSSC, and with the Vulcan Village having their biggest display of items for purchase at the Air Tattoo, then hopefully the target will reduce quickly, although I would expect that once that target is reached the team will soon be planning their next appeal which will be the Winter Service.

On the subject of appeals, there was a good piece in The Sun yesterday about the appeal to save the Vulcan, and you can read more about it here - shame about one of the comments below the story, however, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but one of them is just so way off the mark it's untrue! let's hope the article encourages a few more to donate. Link: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3700033/Once-Britains-first-defence-against-nuclear-annihilation-iconic-Vulcan-warplane-now-faces-extinction.html


This week of course its the run up to the Southport Airshow, and XH558 will be appearing at the Saturday show at approximately 4.20pm, give or take the odd minute delay due to sea breeze!

Fairford to Southport via Wittering!

This is the North West's chance to welcome back the aircraft that was built in the same region of course, Woodford in Manchester to be exact, but sadly there is no possibility of even a public flypast there due to the authorities claiming that the roads would become a nightmare surrounding the former British Aerospace factory.

So, Southport it is, and the Vulcan crew will be hoping for some blue skies to greet them following the downpours at Fairford which delayed the start of this year's show.

It will be an exciting time for 'us lot' camped up here in the North West where we rarely get to see the Vulcan fly, so we'll all be making the most of it this coming Saturday.

As an appetite whetter, here's a dark but very good youtube video of the Vulcan at Southport, something quite haunting about this particular one...

Vulcan at Fairford...I predict a RIAT!

Yes, it's the big one as far as the Vulcan team are concerned, as it heads to 'the biggest military airshow in the world' as the organisers put - well that has been much talk about whether that is still the case now with the thinner number of aircraft on display, but it's still a massive draw to the general public and that's what the Vulcan Village team will be counting on at Fairford.

The Vulcan Village incidentally, is set to be the biggest one that they've built, and with over 150,000 visitors expected over the weekend, many will see this as the golden nugget to raise funds, and with the current total close to £290,000, it would be great to get past that £300k mark, with the deadline of 31st July looming in the background, to raise the remaining £60k.

I could talk figures until the end of the day,but it's all about the display of the Vulcan too, and that's the appeal of course, so let's just hope the weather plays ball at RIAT this weekend, the forecast isn't brilliant, but if it remains on XH558's side then that will be best for everyone, so keep your fingers crossed that the umbrellas can stay in the car this weekend, or at least not having to put them up!

Unfortunately this blogger cannot make it to the Air Tattoo this year, but looking forward to seeing the reviews and the hundreds of youtube clips of the air display.

To all going, have a great time, and good luck to the Vulcan team in bringing yet another fantastic display to the Great British public, oh and don't forget a fiver (text Vulcan to 70558) goes a long way!

Here's a reminder of that great take off from 2009 on the wet Sunday to whet your appetite...

Duo with Sea Vixen highlight of Vulcan weekend



http://www.vulcantothesky.org/donate/


It's been another rip-roaring weekend as far as Avro Vulcan XH558 is concerned as the Yeovilton Air Day came and went, with a treat for all fans, as the Vulcan not only provided its own display, but twinned up with the Sea Vixen for an excellent fly past during the airshow.

The Vulcan as we know has been a key attraction at recent events, and next week will no doubt be the centre piece for many at RIAT - the Air Tattoo - which has been struggling to name some star attractions, mainly because of the cut backs in the military world, but also because of the current conflicts taking place in Libya & Afghanistan.

Yeovilton was of course eagerly anticipated just like Waddington, and whilst the airshow weather wasn't as kind this weekend, it was still good enough, although many were fearing that the Vulcan wouldn't attend due to the engine problem being experienced earlier in the week, but fair play to the many volunteers who worked long hours in the week to get XH558 ready for action, and on Friday afternoon she was declared ready for action, and off she went from Waddington to Yeovilton, no amazing overshoot opportunity this time a it was straight into the base at the first attempt, but thanks to the volunteers she had made it to her destination.



Sea Vixen & XH558 together in stunning flypast

 And so on Saturday, she took to the skies mid afternoon ready for another display to whip up the masses and she didn't disappoint with a spectacular fly past with the De Havilland Sea Vixen, unexpected that's for sure, but very much welcomed by the attending public, and as you can see from the pictures very special indeed.

Another great display from the team, and also on the back of another boost with the current Vulcan Appeal total standing at £281k, meaning that now the remaining target is £79k, very much achievable, and surely at this stage the decision must be made to continue, as there are several key venues to visit, and display at in September, let's hope Leuchars can find a sponsor for the Vulcan to attend their airshow so that the Scottish public can once again witness the great display that the Vulcan is capable of - and also command the attention of everyone on the airfield, that has been prevalent at each display so far, with everyone having their eyes fixed on the 'tin triangle' in the air!

Another week starts tomorrow, but it's no ordinary week, as its the build up to the Royal International Air Tattoo, and hopefully two great displays on Saturday & Sunday will see the donations come flooding in as that £350,000 target gets closer and closer.

XH558 will remain at Yeovilton this week until the trip to Fairford, which at present is likely to be Thursday or Friday, and many will I'm sure flock to Yeovilton to witness the take off whilst at the other end at Fairford, there are sure to be many waiting on one of those Arrivals Days.

As a reminder, here's the link to the Vulcan Appeal where you can contribute, or indeed text Vulcan to 70558, where each texts sends a Fiver to the Appeal - let's do it for XH558!

The Vulcan Display at RIAT 2009

One of the highlights of the airshow season is the Royal international Air Tattoo, and this year's was keenly awaited thanks to two things, the cancellation of 2008's show thanks to the weather, and the fact that the Vulcan was making it's return to RIAT at Fairford.

XH558 didn't disappoint either, with a fantastic display on both days of the show, with the clouds staying in the distance on Day 1, and on Day 2 the rain just held off in time for it's Display.

It was certainly a mammoth take off for the Vulcan, which looked almost like it was flying upside down at one stage, obviously it wasn't, but it was pretty close!

The modern day display may not come close to the displays of the past, but that is fair enough, due to the limited time on the airframe, but it still does quite enough to stop everyone in their tracks, the sheer sight of the Vulcan bomber is enough to make everyone stop what they are doing.

On a personal note, I am counting down the days until XH558 makes its appearance at Hawarden next Saturday (5th September) as long as the weather holds and is serviceable of course.

It's been a good couple of decades since the area was treated to a Vulcan display, but those memories will all come flooding back if the Delta Lady turns up to delight all once again!

Next up is a weekend full of displays, as it heads to Silverstone on Saturday, then off to Dunsfold, Uffington, and Romsey on Sunday. Fingers crossed it manages each display.